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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24571750">Snap</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/tajador/pseuds/tajador'>tajador</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Twisted-Wonderland (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fake/Pretend Relationship, Human/Monster Romance, M/M, Social Media</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 09:06:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,995</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24571750</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/tajador/pseuds/tajador</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Cater ropes Malleus into being his <strike>instagram</strike> magicame boyfriend for a day. Malleus is thankful for the invitation.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Cater Diamond/Malleus Draconia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>165</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Snap</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p><a href="https://www.dictionary.com/e/pop-culture/instagram-husband/">INSTAGRAM HUSBAND</a><br/>[in-stuh-gram huhz-buhnd]<br/></p><p>
  <i>Ever wonder how your favorite influencers look flawless in every photo? Well, it may be thanks, at least in part, to the person behind the camera: their Instagram husband. An Instagram husband refers to a person who helps a partner manage their Instagram social media channel, especially by taking photos. You may have seen them patiently waiting to drink their oat-milk latte until their partner snaps that perfect pic first.</i>
</p><p>i recommend reading malleus' PE R card personal story for some context :D also because it's the cutest! malleus is such a dork!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Malleu~s!!"</p><p>Where the crowd of students parted like oceans as Malleus walks from one classroom to another, Cater instead runs towards him, pressing a quick tap to his lower back as if they had been friends for forever.</p><p>"You free on Sunday?" What a question. Malleus was never <em> not </em> free. Cater likely knew this, hence why he continues without awaiting an answer. "All my friends ditched me! I wanted to drop back home to shoot some content for my SNS accounts..."</p><p>"Home? The Pyroxene Lands?" Malleus hadn't understood a single other word of that sentence.</p><p>"You remembered! As expected of the great Malleus~" Cater walks by his side through the hallways, a rhythm to his steps, keeping up with Malleus' long strides, never acknowledging the stares and whispers of the students they pass by.</p><p>"What time?"</p>
<hr/><p>"Diamond."</p><p>Cater looks up from his screen at the sound of Malleus' voice, kicking the wall he was leaning against before grinning. "Looking good!"</p><p>Malleus had requested Silver's assistance in acquiring clothing that could be relatively inconspicuous in the Pyroxene Lands, dressed in black from head to toe but of simpler fabrics than what he had grown used to, woven turtleneck and jeans even if the cold could never bother his innately burning body.</p><p>"Won't these be a problem?" Malleus bows his head slightly to indicate his horns, but Cater simply shrugs his shoulders.</p><p>"Nah. If it bothers them, then that's on them." Cater throws a backpack over his shoulder before handing Malleus two gym bags. "Can you carry these?"</p><p>Malleus looks over his shoulder, convinced Sebek would come running and shouting that he'll do it for his sake, but the mirror room stays silent aside from the constant vibrations and rings of Cater's phone notifications.</p><p>"It would be my pleasure." Malleus is almost thrilled to grab the bags, excited to have some sort of mission he can accomplish. "What do these contain?"</p><p>"Change of clothes, cameras, lenses, y'know." Cater walks towards the mirror corresponding to his homeland, blurry views of mountains and countless buildings reflected on its rippled surface. "Good to go?"</p>
<hr/><p>The Pyroxene Lands are overrun by cars and trains, buildings and contemporary infrastructure occupying almost every square inch of its surface, but there's a life to it, a novelty, Malleus unused to seeing so many materials and tongues and images mix and mingle as they cover buildings. Crowds walk the streets and gather around the many stores, human and other mammal species alike sharing space, coexisting without barriers. It was so unlike the Valley of Thorns, where centuries of misunderstandings had left an invisible scar separating fae from human.</p><p>He follows Cater between buildings and into an alley that opens to a square where several groups and pairs of people are seated, enjoying food and chatter. Malleus always finds himself surprised to see the way humans spend their time, so leisurely and carefreely, as if they were unaware of the ephemerality of their lifespan.</p><p>"Here's good! Looks totally awesome, right?" Cater extends his arms proudly, as if he had been the one to spray the mural that covers the wall behind him. "Come on, come on! Let's take the camera out! I want to start with a  fisheye shot!"</p><p>Malleus shuffles the contents of the gym bag around, pretending he knows what he's looking for, observing Cater out the corner of his eye. He was focused on his reflection, holding up a pocket mirror, tousling his hair and dabbing balm onto his lips. His pigmented skin seemed so fragile, as if even the slightest gust of wind or ray of sunlight could damage it, humans so vulnerable yet intriguing in how they showed no fear in the face of that frailty.</p><p>"Something wrong?" Cater had caught him staring and empty-handed, Malleus still clueless as to what contraption he was meant to grab. "It's this one. You ever take a picture before?"</p><p>Malleus shakes his head, compelled by Cater's deftness in attaching a lens to the main body of a camera before pressing, twisting, playing with its countless buttons. The human leans besides him, his head barely reaching his shoulder, showing Malleus the necessary functions and modes and buttons to press. Malleus reaches for the electronic device and their fingers brush for a moment as it passes from one hand to the other, Cater continuing his explanations while pressed arm to arm like it was the most casual thing to do, unaware that whatever could seem normal to him was a brand new experience for Malleus.</p><p>Minutes grow into hours, poses, frames, angles, outfits, the crowds' faces changing, walking by while whispering and staring, but Malleus barely hears them, too busy remembering which button to press, which angles Cater said were his most flattering, which lens he had to switch to. He doesn't exactly understand what Cater's critics of the photographs mean, leaning against him again, going through the camera roll to point out which poses look wonky, which shots are blurry, which clouds affect which lighting.</p><p>Malleus thinks each picture looks cute, the blurs of color included, but doesn't mind helping Cater for as long as he needs. He had never been out for leisure for such a long period of time, and certainly not in the company of a human.</p><p>"You hungry?" Cater had finally found a dozen of shots he was satisfied with in the camera roll, ready to move on with his content creation checklist. "I'll really need your help with the next one."</p><p>It's more steps than Malleus can ever remember walking, passing by dozens of storefronts packed with people enjoying food and goods — colorful clothing, electronics, accessories and furniture alike being sold for a currency Malleus is not yet familiar with. </p><p>They walk for blocks of people avoiding the sidewalk to keep their distances from Malleus before finding themselves in an artisanal ice dessert shop, wooden walls covered in mirrors and paintings separated by the vines and leaves of countless plants suspended to the walls and ceilings. Malleus moves carefully, leaning his head down to avoid the doorway first, the planters second. But the colorful display counter catches his eyes, dozens of varieties of creams and sorbets filling it, each more drool-inducing than the other.</p><p>Malleus is halted in his anticipating steps by a sudden tension, his horns caught in the vines of one of the many suspended plants. He clears his throat, Cater turning to him before puffing into laughter, the clerk watching with widened eyes.</p><p>"Tell me this happens often." Cater laughs, watching Malleus struggle, unable to untangle himself due to all the bags in his hands and his hesitation to use magic in a common store. "We could definitely improve your image at school if you let me capture this."</p><p>"I would rather abstain from that, thank you." Malleus smiles despite the inconvenience, knowing Lilia would be similarly amused were he in Cater's shoes. "Might I ask for your assistance?"</p><p>Cater is still laughing as he stands on the tip of his toes, the bags Malleus is holding out towards him ignored, Cater instead reaching for his horns, carefully untangling leaves from around them. Malleus notices his scent as their chests press against each other then, an artificial floral stench overpowered by the unbearably sweet and tantalizing aroma of human flesh. His stomach churns and he attempts to convince himself that it's the thought of tasting one of those colorful ice treats that's causing it.</p><p>Freed from his predicament they approach the counter, Cater asking for their newest specialty, a soft cream dipped in chocolate and decorated by a myriad of  sprinkles and edible decorations representing flowers and stars. Malleus knows how to handle the camera now, somewhat, readily taking close-ups of the treat — Which Cater refers to as <em> aesthetic </em> and <em> grammable </em> — Before the human starts posing with it, leaning against the wall, letting the leaves and vines fall around him as he pretends to lick the contents of the cone. The clerk sighs audibly, but Malleus is deaf to it, focused on keeping the camera still, on pressing the right buttons, on listening to Cater's instructions.</p><p>He doesn't really get it, but Cater laughs and smiles between each pose, and it's enough. Humans found pleasure in the smallest of things, and so did Malleus.</p><p>"Aight! These are great! Okay, okay, this is where you come in!" Cater presents Malleus with the glittering ice cream cone, still untouched. "You gotta do the eating for me."</p><p>Right. Despite his dorm's tendencies, Cater alone wasn't interested in sweets. The minutes spent taking photographs had caused the ice cream to spill from beneath the solid chocolate dip, however, and Malleus' gloved hands reach for his forearm, grabbing it with as much gentleness as he could muster, aware of the fragility of non-fae species.</p><p>He notices Cater staring at him, cross-eyed but smiling, watching Malleus press his lips to his wrist. The sweet vanilla taste blends with the scent of human flesh so deliciously, Malleus slowly lapping up the streaks of melted ice cream that run down Cater's hand, his forked tongue carefully licking up and towards his palm, its split flesh wrapping around the human's thumb until no liquid is left.</p><p>Malleus then grabs the cone only to meet Cater's widened eyes, a crooked smile spread across his face, now tinted of an unnatural reddened shade.</p><p>"Are you alright, Diamond?" Malleus takes a bite of the sparkling decorations, each sprinkle exploding in sugary sweetness within his mouth. "Your skin seems to have changed color."</p><p>"Uh." Cater laughs nervously before grabbing a strand of colorful hair, fiddling with it as he regains his usual playfully relaxed demeanor. "Don't worry about it. You enjoy that."</p><p>Malleus watches him go through the camera roll anew as he bites and licks away at the treat, savoring each taste as the frozen cream cools his body, the sensation of his flame sac tightening from the contrasting cold always so surprisingly pleasant. Cater smiles at him before holding up the camera, snapping a picture in the midst of one of Malleus' licks.</p><p>"Damn! Blurry, as always." Cater chuckles as he looks at the picture he had just snapped. "Even my camera cannot capture the mysterious Malleus Draconia."</p><p>"Perhaps you would succeed were we to attempt to photograph me for two hours." Malleus teases, already down to the cone.</p><p>"Haha~ Sorry about that. Now you know why my friends ditched me." </p><p>"Apologies are unnecessary. It was enjoyable, in its own way." Malleus' fangs make quick work of the rest of the treat, finishing it before Cater has the time to pack his bags.</p><p>"I'm glad!" Cater must have known Malleus would never refuse an invitation and used it to his advantage, but Malleus saw no real downside to it. "Hey. I got an idea."</p><p>Cater pulls his phone out instead of relying on his camera and tugs on Malleus' sleeve to get him to stand next to him, their forms reflected in one of the many mirrors that decorated the shop's walls. Cater gets on the tip of his toes, leans on one side and then the other, shifts on his feet, moves his phone up and down while his free arm wraps around Malleus' waist before pressing the button at the bottom of his screen a few times.</p><p>"There we go! OMG! We did it!" Cater shoves his phone in Malleus' face and he recognizes his own self captured on the screen, albeit with a leaf stuck to one of his horns and his eyes fixated on Cater's phone in a dumbfounded expression while the human's grin was full of confidence, happiness. "This is going straight to my stories! Hashtag date? Is that too risky? It's just a joke, but I wouldn't want my followers to get jealous ♡"</p><p>As usual, most of his words fly right above Malleus' head, but hearing the playful tone of Cater's voice seemed to be enough. Malleus had a good day.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thank you :D you can find unpublished stories, overthought theories/analyses &amp; translations on my twst twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/mrromrro">@mrromrro</a> ♡</p></blockquote></div></div>
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